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An aging, career minor leaguer reports for spring training and gets the daunting task of helping out a talented, but immature pitcher. However, the pitcher ends up learning more from the clubís biggest fan than he does from the catcher.

IS IT A GOOD MOVIE?

Nearly 20 years later, itís safe to say that BULL DURHAM is a classic sports movie. It appears on countless Top ten sports movie lists and is always one of the first films ESPN talks about when they start trying to talk movies. The praise is warranted, however, because Durham is a fun film about baseball that has some great characters and plenty of memorable scenes.

Personally, my favorite part of the film is Susan Sarandon. I donít think sheís ever looked as hot as she does in this movie. She just oozes sex appeal throughout the film. But everyone in the film gives a great performance. Kevin Costner is at his best when heís playing a baseball player and this is arguably his best sports character. Tim Robbins seems like a naturally goofy guy and this role was a perfect match for him. All three of them together play well off each other and both Kevin and Tim have a nice chemistry with Susan.

The smartest decision Ron Shelton made was to keep the movie simple. All too often these films get convoluted with weak storylines or minor characters that donít contribute anything to the overall plot. In this case, Shelton allows his three leads to carry the story and demonstrate the charm and charisma that made them famous. Itís a simple story for sure, but itís effective and fun.

It seems to be a difficult task to make a sports movie funny, touching and somewhat authentic, but BULL DURHAM does just that. The task should be simple enough, but sports movies screw up at least one element. But perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay to BULL DURHAM is that Iíve seen it at least a dozen times and I enjoy myself every time. It has aged extremely well and I suspect that it will be enjoyed by movie and sports fans alike for many years to come.

THE EXTRAS

Iíll warn you; this is a cheap effort to get your money. Thereís nothing new here that makes it worth upgrading over the previous SE release.

Commentary with Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins: Both of these guys are great actors, but they donít keep the commentary rolling very well. It seems like they havenít seen the film in a long time. There were even times where I donít think the other was paying attention. They give a few interesting tidbits, but nothing special. Overall it was a little disappointing.

Commentary with Ron Shelton: This was Ronís first film and one that heís obviously passionate about. He gives a decent commentary about the film and had clearly planned out what he wanted to say. He pulls from a lot of real world experiences and tells us what inspired him for various scenes. Itís a good listen and fans of the film should get a kick out of it. This was actually where I learned that Ron played minor league ball.

The Greatest Show on Dirt (19:21): This is a nostalgic look at the film with recent interviews from the filmmakers. Ron Shelton does most of the talking and takes us from concept to shooting. This is an interesting and thorough look at the film. Some of it was already covered in the commentary, but I enjoyed the interviews from baseball people and real life stories.

Diamonds in the Rough (15:54): This is kind of a mini-documentary about minor league baseball. Aside from some dialogue and movie scenes, it has nothing to do with the film. Itís a nice look at minor league baseball and I agree with what they said. Minor league baseball is fun, maybe even more so than pro ball.

Between the Lines (29:17): The best way to describe this is a hybrid of the previous two featurettes focusing on the real Durham Bulls and the making of the film. Most of the interviews were new, but there were a few older ones sprinkled in. This is ok, but after the commentaries and the other two featurettes, most of it is old news.

Kevin Costner (2:10): I canít believe this passes as a special feature. Anyway, this is a quick 2 minutes about Kevinís performance in the film. Whatever.

Sports Wrap (2:58): Again this was worthless. Basically, itís a long trailer for the film. Itís also not worth the time.

There are also some Previews

FINAL DIAGNOSIS

If you donít have the film yet, then thereís no reason not to pick this edition up on the cheap. If you already have the special edition, then there is absolutely no reason to buy this one.